Garreg Hir

A respite in the gales this morning meant I could go back on the uplands and my favourite patch around Bwlch Y Garreg - Three lakes and bog in the basin of an arching ridge. After days of rain Llyn mawr had overspilled into the bog, four lapwing took advantage of the extended wetland (have never sen them on this site before). Two female goldeneye on the water and a third lone juvenile on llyn Du (like last year). I left the goldeneye as light was too flat to make them out in detail and headed up garreg hir. The Westerlies soon picked up again and by the afternoon gusting around 30mph. Oblique sunlight illuminated the acid grasslands, soft yellows that are so hard to capture in paint though it helps when they contrast with the dark blue grey low hanging clouds on a day like today. The golden plover are not to be found on their usual roost between the burial cairns, although a squadron of 6 buzz low through this gully early on.

Painting in lea of a rocky out crop, fairly good perspective to the North West, over the Glonc bogs and towards cloud storms over the Arans. Drew composition and tones in bs+um, drop ru into highlights in sky (surprisingly similar to ny in right quantities). Wash of ny for grass, then dropped in various mixes e.g bs+qr and ru+um for subtle soft colours in grass. Although a little rushed as green has overrun the ny too much. Approach for larger scale.

Descending from ridge, big mixed flock of starling and fieldfare take advantage of the muddy gate ways and the lake for a brief moment is a deep Prussian blue, striking especially where the water spills around the equally vivid russet red margins. Try to paint the goldeneye in good light but typically flighty, choosing to fly down the lake as soon as I've set up everything right down to mixing my first colour.